Who Should I Start? Khalil Shakir or Matthew Golden

Wednesday, September 17, 1:36 PM

The Buffalo Bills relied more on the run than the pass in a Week 2 win over the New York Jets, which didn't do wide receiver Khalil Shakir any favors. Shakir had tallied six or more targets in 14 straight games entering last Sunday, but that streak ended against the Jets. After catching one of two targets for 12 yards, he'll look to bounce back against the Miami Dolphins on Thursday. Historically, Shakir has logged unspectacular numbers versus division-rival Miami, which has limited him to 20 catches, 260 yards, and no touchdowns in six career meetings. The 6-foot, 190-pounder caught 11 of 12 targets for 104 yards in two games against the Dolphins last year. That aligned with Shakir's season-long output during a 76-catch, 821-yard showing in 2024, and it's the type of respectable production fantasy managers should expect in Week 3.

Tuesday, September 16, 12:23 PM

Green Bay Packers wide receiver Matthew Golden came into the 2025 season with a lot of hype, being the first wide receiver drafted by the team in the first round since Javon Walker in 2002. Through two games, Golden hasn't done much to satisfy the hype of fantasy managers, with just two receptions for 16 yards combined in his first two NFL games. That said, Golden has been the recipient of several deep throws from quarterback Jordan Love that have just missed being huge plays. We'd be talking about Golden much favorably if those plays had gone the other way. Still, fantasy managers won't get points for almost scoring or almost catching the ball. One good sign for Golden is that his routes per dropback have risen from 57 percent in Week 1 to 68 percent in Week 2, so the Packers are getting him on the field a bit more. In Week 3, the Packers head east to play the Cleveland Browns, where Golden could get on track to deliver some fantasy value. However, until we see it, he's got to be left on fantasy benches in the majority of fantasy formats.